For the first time, a “managed” apple tree variety developed by the University of Minnesota Horticultural Research Center will be planted in U.S. orchards in 2007, Minnesota Apple Growers Association members were told Wednesday.

About 150 people are attending the association’s annual education and trade show, which ends today at the La Crosse Center.
Managed varieties, also known as club varieties, are a new concept that involves one organization managing production and marketing, and maintaining top quality and prices.

In recent years, the U of M developed the popular Honey-crisp apple, and licensed it in Europe, where it is known as Honeycrunch. Although it is a managed variety in Europe, that isn’t the case in the U.S.

Because more and more Honeycrisp trees are being planted in the U.S., there is concern the fruit’s premium prices eventually will drop and poorer-quality Honeycrisp apples will be sold, said David Bedford, a research scientist at the university’s Horticultural Research Center.

The research center has developed a new variety, temporarily known as Minnesota 1914, that is a cross between a Honeycrisp and a Zestar! apple tree, also developed at the center. The university has licensed Pepin Heights Orchards of Lake City, Minn., to manage the variety.

Pepin Heights essentially will sublicense growers to produce it, Bedford said in an interview. “We have licensed one organization (Pepin Heights) to grow it, pack it and sell it,” he said, adding that the firm will involve other growers and packing houses around the nation. Minnesota orchards that sell directly to the public will be able to participate, he said.

Under the managed-variety business model, the university will receive more royalties than it otherwise would, and it will receive them for a longer time. Royalties are an increasingly important funding source for the research center, Bedford said.

“Only a small percentage of varieties are going to be good enough to even be considered” for the managed-variety concept, Bedford said, as the market will support only so many types of premium-priced apples. Those likely to develop a national or international following are the best candidates for the concept, he said.

Steve Cahalan can be reached at (608) 791-8229 or scahalan@lacrossetribune.com.

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